On Media

Reporters oppose Pentagon monitoring

Defense reporters want the Pentagon’s assurance it’s not listening to their phone calls.

The request is in response to the Defense Department’s new policy of monitoring national media reports for unauthorized disclosures of classified information.

It’s the word “monitor” that set off alarm bells among journalists.

The word “could be interpreted by some as authorizing intrusive actions aimed at members of the news media who report on defense issues,” the Pentagon Press Association said in a letter to Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Martin Dempsey.

The association, formed in 2010 to advocate for reporters who cover the Defense Department, has asked Pentagon leaders to clarify whether the department has the authority to tap their phone calls, intercept their emails or spy on their workspaces.

“Do you need probable cause before engaging in any of these activities and get a court’s authority to do so?” the letter asks.

The Pentagon’s new policy was announced on Thursday after Panetta and Dempsey met with the House Armed Services Committee in a closed-door hearing on how the recent spate of national-security leaks has affected military operations.

After the hearing, Armed Services Committee Chairman Buck McKeon (R-Calif.) said he didn’t believe the leaks, including information on alleged cyberattacks against Iran, had come from the Pentagon.

“A lot of people have a lot of information, and when you think about how much has been leaked, based on how many people have information, actually we’re doing pretty good,” McKeon told reporters.

UPDATE: Pentagon spokesman George Little sent the following response on Friday evening:

The Department will, of course, review this letter. We have great respect for the Pentagon press corps and its vital role in informing the American people. The key goal of the steps we announced is to ensure that Department officials honor their obligation to protect classified information.